Okay. Have you put any thought to post frequency or group size? I personally see deathwatch and dark heresy as more geared to smaller groups for different reasons. In dark heresy the larger your cell the less dangerous the more minor threats become. While a small team in deathwatch fits theatrically as a small band of specialists fit more the specialist team that makes deathwatch so intesting, true both are small groups but one has more the feel of vulnerability while the other is more a close knit team spitting in the face of whatever overwhelming odds are against them that particular week.

Alternatively Rogue trader can work quite well as a larger group. A rogue trader and his trusted advisors taking what they want from the universe has more of a large or grander scale wherein more characters would give the ship and the game more depth. Plus those ships have literally thousands of crew members so a larger command staff isn't all that far fetched.

Again these are my own opinions and ideas for you to mull over or not.

Hey TerraNova, missed you starting this thread.
I'd be interested. I don't have only war or black crusade...yet but I have a rather exhaustive set of the rest of the books. The rogue trader or deathwatch games sound interesting to me if you haven't settled on a group of players.

The runner now known as Droid started out in a family run subsidiary lab of ARES industries, growing up learning about technology and robotics from his father and uncle. He was sent to some of the best technology schools available and when he graduated he returned to his families labs to continue in his father's footsteps. Everything was going great, they had a new prototype VTOL drone that they were going to be presenting to the Executives at their next meeting, stocks and options were high and everyone was in good spirit. That was until one fateful night when a team of runners broke into their lab and sabotaged their prototype the night before its unveiling. Needless to say when the drone when rogue and injured one of the board members the Executives quickly 'liquidated' his family and their company. Forced to flee everything he knew he went to the only place he figured they couldn't find him, the underworld of the runners, where he could turn his skills developed in the lab into a new 'career'.

what's he like:

Droid has never been good with people, he just doesn't understand how they work. With electronics and drones he can just take them apart, study them and then rebuild them better than before. Humans and metas don't work that way though. Sporting a fairly average build and slightly below average height Droid doesn't really stand out in a crowd, which works for him since he doesn't want to stand out. His dark brown hair sits long and half kept, showing signs that he is long over due for a haircut rather than long for style. He wears drab baggy clothing in a variety of greys and dark blues and can usually be found sporting a hoodie with whatever logos or brands appear to have been popular months ago.

I was thinking about a half elf based around the samurai and archetype sword saint, (link below)that uses the aldori dueling sword. Basically a D'artanion/musketeer kind of character minus the guns that's either part of an as yet undecided knightly order hoping to join or be recruited by a knightly order in the future. I may even go duelist prestige class or switch him to the aldori archetype fighter if you don't like the samurai/sword saint archetype
sword saint archetype
Strength 13
Dexterity 16+2 racial
Constitution 14
Intelligence 14
Wisdom 10
Charisma 12

DM Locke I've been rereading your posts and I see Landon (my inquisitor application) being part of the new side of Helm's church in Tethyr , especially the part about making the wilderness safer for everyone.

I do have one question for an alternate application though. Are there any knightly orders present in Tethyr, I couldn't find anything on the interwebs about a local order. I had an idea for a cavalier(a kensai samurai actually) and was hoping to build him around a local order though.

Landon is a child of Tethyr, born to a minor noble family as the third son and raised by the church. He tries to embody the ideal of Helm by using the skills he learned to hunt down an elimate threats outside of the cities as well as in thier streets.

I see him resembling a paladin in many ways and if chosen he may end up become a true paladin later in his career.

Haven't played in FR in a long time so I'm a little rusty on the setting but I've got two ideas

Half-elf son of a minor noble of Tethyr and a reclusive elf taught both social gentry work and deception.

backstory ideas:

The characters mother was a renegade/traitor noble drow fleeing the Underdark after a failed coup vs her mother fled to the surface and beguiled his father, into marrying her while she posed as a regular elf through magic. I was looking to build him as a ninja to show his dark elf latent magic coming through. I was also gonna take the half elf changes in the ARG if possible.

One thing i tried for radiation was treating it as a poison vs constitution. Different severities had larger dice if fortitude saves failed and reducing con works well, meanin the more radiation you take the harder it is to resist but it doesnt make it overly complex and allows PCs to 'heal' their radiation over time instead of RL where it just adds up until the inevitable.

if your looking for something to bring guns and technology in i just found this Amethyst which has great tech based classes and is designed for pathfinder so less house ruling and figuring stuff out

I've been pondering about making an inquisitor /ranger of either Erastil or Iomedae, I haven't finalized everything yet. Still waiting on your decision about the black powder inquisition and this as a whole before I build too much around it.

Specifics on chain of command and such would be a good thing to iron out before play. The thing with mercenaries is that for the most part everyone is there to be paid and the commanding officer is in charge of that.

I've been thinking about my character Zechariah and I think he'll work better as a combo between gunslinger and bard. I like the idea of the second in command supporting the troops while still remaining combat effective.

Journal of Zechariah Quinn d'Orien, entry 14th of Barrakas
We're two days out from the Mournland and I can't help feeling that I've come full circle. Only four years ago I was making my way here on another mission. I was nineteen and had joined the Brelish army as a courier and because of my mark I was frequently tasked with runs usually assigned to more experienced soldiers. I remember the first time I donned Breland's colours. My parents thought that I was at the local Orien enclave looking to join the Couriers guild but I wasn't, I wanted to do my part as a soldier to protect Breland not carry some nobles love letter. I was so clueless back then. Because of my mark they put me through a form of officer's training before tasking me to the information branch carrying missives all over. I also remember when the Cannith smiths presented me with my sidearm and sword when I graduated. Beautiful and deadly just like my partner, Reya, another dragonmarked from the house Phiarlan. I can't detail my mission here in case this journal is found in the wrong hands but I can't help but think about the past sitting here by the fire with my squad. Growing up the son of a trading mogul and a clockmaker was odd, on one side my father preached patience and measured actions just like his clocks while my mother believed in cut-throat negotiations and always being the one with the advantage. Both unmarked embers of the Orien house neither one knew what to do when my mark appeared. Looking back I really should have been nicer to them when I was younger, but its too late now since they were among the thousands that died on the day of mourning how could they have known that a trip to visit relatives in Cyre would end that way. I think that's why I ended up surrendering my commission and leaving the service. I spent three years serving my house as a courier after the war but it wasn't the same, I missed the excitement and the danger, the feeling of being alive, that's why I ended up signing with the Sellsword Syndicate I think. Pity they don't have the same kind of resources as the army, the gun the Cannith's made for me felt like is was a part of me but I think I'm starting to figure out how they built it. Mines no where near as good yet but someday, now if only I could remember what I learned about clockwork...
Looks like its time for watches, better lead by example.

A few questions, would you allow silken ceremonial armour to be reinforced clothing? And what changes to the marks are you doing aside from not needing to buy lesser and greater versions?